Broom wrote:I shoot .308, but I reckon .243 is a bit under rated.
As long as you're not hitting big game, a .243 will take just about anything here with heavy pills.
And shoots flatter and faster and with less recoil than any of the bigger stuff.
If you take availability of off the shelf ammo in to account a .243 is a perfect Tasmanian deer rifle I reckon, not overkill for the foresters down the Midlands either. I worked up the drop on my TIKKA at all ranges on the range a few years ago and it has been the ideal all round rifle for me since. MInd you I punted a 6.5 x 55 swede sporter for a while and was very impressed with it, perhaps my vote for most underated Tasmanian calibre is the 6.5 x 55.
Some people seem to think the stags down here are bulletproof or something, you will never be overgunned with a heavier calibre but the .243 with decent projectiles is more than adequete.
PS, i think the most underated calibre full stop is the 8 x 57 Mauser. So many possibilities that have never been explored. Dare I say it I reckon it could be on par with the 30/06 as a Sambar stalking round. I have a project in the pipeline.